Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Late-ripening Aglianico from the Vulture volcano in Basilicata does very nicely in the warmer vintages, such as 2015. The high elevations and cool summer breezes always keep this magical and little-known spot in Southern Italy much cooler than you would expect. The 2015 Aglianico del Vulture Arberesko offers a dark and brooding personality. The wine takes a little while to open, but once it does it becomes suddenly exuberant, opulent and redolent of chewy dark fruit.
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Wine Spectator
A fresh and elegant red, medium- to full-bodied, featuring supple tannins finely meshed with flavors of crushed black cherry fruit and a core of smoke-tinged mineral, with delicate tea leaf and star anise accents. Long and racy on the finish. Drink now through 2029.
Making its home in the mountainous southern Italy, Aglianico is a bold red variety that is late to ripen and often spends until November on the vine. It thrives in Campania as the exclusive variety in the age-worthy red wine called Taurasi. Aglianico also has great success in the volcanic soils of Basilicata where it makes the robust, Aglianico del Vulture. Somm Secret—The name “Aglianico” bears striking resemblance to Ellenico, the Italian word for "Greek," but no evidence shows it has Greek ancestry. However, it first appeared in Italy around an ancient Greek colony located in present-day Avellino, Campania.
Inhabiting the arch of Italy’s boot, this southern, mountainous region has a relatively small amount of vineyard area under vine. Basilicata has one DOCG for its prized red grape, Aglianico, Aglianico del Vulture Superior, which is limited to the slopes of an extinct volcano. The best whites are made of Malvasia bianca.